Silent Lies and Closed Hearts
by EternalLove
Summary: Akane is an elite spy for Japan's Empire but gets caught in a trap set by amateurs. Ranma, a prince from China, buys her to save own his tail from trouble. Prob. 1, he thinks she is a guy. Prob. 2, she can't escape from him. Prob. 3, he won't let her.
1. Captured By Arrogance

Captured By Arrogance  
  
She had never expected to get caught. A warrior of her stature would have never stumbled  
  
into such a poorly planned trap. But making a mistake is the trait of a normal human,  
  
unfortunately. She gave an inner sigh as she shifted the ice cold chains on her hands. It was  
  
freezing and all she had on was a tattered ronin uniform. Smears of dirt were everywhere and  
  
the fabric, once a rich blue, had faded down into an nondescript color. Her gi was torn on the  
  
bottoms and there were holes that littered the plants. Her normally pale skin was dark from  
  
lack of cleaning and her long hair, tied in a high ponytail, was grimy. In all respects, she  
  
looked more like a scrawny beggar than a spy. Except the tough leathery armbands  
  
connected into short gloves that gave away her knowledge of swordsmanship. And all it took  
  
was an ill-placed blow, a few untrained soldiers, and rusted chains to finally capture the  
  
infamous spy of the Empire. Oh the shame she would bear if her comrades ever heard of her  
  
capture. It wasn't stupidity that got her into this predicament, it was her pride. Pride that she  
  
was the best, an elite spy that nobody could catch. Which was why she had sauntered through  
  
the dense forest without a worry. Which was why seven men dropped down from the  
  
surrounding trees and trapped her with her arrogance. She gave an angry kick at the wooden  
  
box around her. The wagon gave a jerk as it went over a large bump and she winced as her  
  
bottom hit the floorboards hard. There was sure to be a bruise there by now, considuring the  
  
countless hours in which her body made imprints in the cramped wagon space. Her muscles  
  
screamed from the inactivity and the awkward position she had been in. Four days....just  
  
where were they taking her? For certain, they knew part of her identity, since they had placed  
  
iron weights on her legs and arms to prevent escape. She had to get out, it was imperative of  
  
her to get to her destination. The information she had received last week needed to get back  
  
to the emperor. Without it, the revolution could not be stopped. And without her, the empire  
  
could fall.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He waved away the plates of exquisite food, scrunching his nose at the delicacies. The servant  
  
gave a deep bow and whisked the plates away to other tables. His father was already drunk,  
  
guffawing and spitting flecks of spit as he laughed at his advisors. Head perched on his hand,  
  
the prince was the ultimate picture of boredom. Japan was not to his expectations and he  
  
wondered what had ever gotten into his father's head to visit the country. Worst of all, there  
  
were hot springs galore here, a reminder of that fatal day three months ago. He grimaced as  
  
another court lady began to serenade a song on cherry blossoms and love. He carefully  
  
looked around the room, making sure all of the Chinese embassy was occupied and slipped  
  
down from his chair. He was almost to the door when small hands grabbed his shirt and  
  
turned him around. He looked down at the pouting daughter of a Japanese noble. Her long  
  
hair was pulled up into that ridiculous loose bun that all of the native women wore. She had  
  
loosened her cherry red kimono enough to show the delectable curve of a breast. She was  
  
pretty enough with her wide spaced eyes and plump lips, but her wandering hands were  
  
beginning to annoy him and he pushed her away, quickly stealing out the door. He jogged all  
  
the way back to his room and tore off his court clothes, trading them for his preferred red  
  
Chinese style shirt and long black pants.  
  
He was halfway out of his window when his ears detected the soft step of a person. He gave a  
  
sigh and climbed back in, turning around with his arms crossed.  
  
"Oy, Ryoga, what do you want?" he said impatiently.  
  
The door slid open to reveal his twin brother. They were born on the same day but shared no  
  
similar appearances or personalities. Ryoga was a bit shorter and had unruly hair that grew  
  
out from behind a black spotted yellow headband. He leaned against the doorway, already  
  
out of his own court clothes and in a long sleeved yellow shirt and black pants that were  
  
cross-laced on the bottom with yellow strings. He smirked and walked up to his brother,  
  
clapping a hand on his back.  
  
"If you don't attend the dinner, then why should I?" he replied, starting to climb out of the  
  
window.  
  
"Fine, but don't go blaming me again if we get caught." the prince replied as he followed his  
  
younger brother out the window. They stole into the stables and leisurely picked the best  
  
horse. They were saddling them when they could hear the padding of servants running  
  
around the stableyard.  
  
"Damn it, he must have found out!" Ryoga whispered, his hands moving faster on the buckles.  
  
The elder prince, his horse already done, jerked his head towards the back entrance. The two  
  
quietly walked their horses out and into the forest that bordered the palace's land. They  
  
quickly followed a worn down path that led to the city situated below the palace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The constant rumbling of the wagon wheels suddenly stopped and her ears rang from the  
  
absence of the sound. She perked her ears, they were in some sort of street, perhaps in a city?  
  
It couldn't be too late since there were still lots of people about, around dinner time. And  
  
judging from the muted sounds of voices, the wagon had stopped at the back of a building.  
  
The wagon door creaked as someone began to unlock. Light blinded her eyes as a stranger  
  
held a lantern before them. Strong arms grabbed the chains and roughly pulled her out. She  
  
almost fell when her legs buckled but the arms kept her up. Half dragging and half pushing,  
  
she was led inside a dimly lit storeroom. There was crates and barrels of food stacked neatly  
  
in tall piles. A door connected to the storeroom brought in the loud sounds of drunken men  
  
and giggling girls. A typical Japanese bar; men with the money, girls with the bodies. She was  
  
thrown to the ground of the storeroom and the room emptied, only to be filled with loud  
  
females in overly bright makeup. She twisted her body and sat up, her hands still in those  
  
heavy chains. They all looked at her up and down, assessing every feature on her face. From  
  
her chestnut brown eyes to her stubborn chin.  
  
"He looks too hard headed. Check out that nasty little look he's got." one of them said.  
  
"Not that bad looking, a few girls might come for him. Got a soft sort of look that might lull the  
  
girls." said another.  
  
While the other girls began to discuss amongst themselves, their prisoner was burning with  
  
embarassment but relieved at the same time. They didn't know who she was but.....did she  
  
really look the part of a man? Of the three daughters of Soun, she had been the perpetual  
  
oddball. The one daughter who was never proper, mannerly, gentle, or pretty much every  
  
other quality that distinguishes a well bred lady. She was studying the fighting arts at age five,  
  
donning male clothing by age seven (after finding out that neither a kimono nor a yukata was  
  
practical during fights), and was branded the "son" of Soun by age ten. Her only beauty was in  
  
the exquisite blue hair that reached down to her waist. The discussion between the bar girls  
  
was cut short and she was hoisted up by two girls. One of them took a tiny key out from her  
  
kimono and unlocked the chains bounding the girl. She was rubbing her hands when three of  
  
them pounced on her and immediately began to brush out the tangles in her hair and pulling  
  
her clothes off. She jumped up in a yelp and backed into a corner.  
  
"Nobody touches my clothes or my hair, got it?! I don't care what you have in plan for me-"  
  
"Oh for kami's sake, give it a rest, we won't touch you, ok? But our customers don't like seeing  
  
anybody dirty, so try to clean up, got it?" a tall girl said. She had the least make up on of any  
  
of them and had a more decent looking kimono than the others. She gave a flirty smile and  
  
patted the girl's shoulder, though caressed is more the word. The leader gave a nod of the  
  
head to the other girls in the room and everybody filed out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They were trotting down a busy street when shouts started up behind them. Ryoga turned  
  
around and cursed, the king's personal guard had found them. The brothers jumped off the  
  
horses and slapped their hindquarters, making the animals gallop down the street.  
  
Meanwhile, the brothers ducked into the nearest building to hide. The second they entered  
  
girls were all over them. Giggles and batting eyelashes were overused and their hands were  
  
everywhere. Shaking them off, the two princes were led to a corner table where another set of  
  
females were waiting.  
  
"Ranma!!!! Ryoga!!!!" someone yelled from the entrance.  
  
"Damn!" Ranma spat. "She must have found us."  
  
"Let's give it up, you know she'll be more lenient that way!" Ryoga whispered as they  
  
scrambled under the table.  
  
"Forget it, she knows we left the dinner, if we have a good excuse for being out-" Ranma  
  
whispered back as guards began to fill the bar.  
  
"Well what kind of excuse do you have?!" Ryoga hissed as a several guards and one cane came  
  
closer.  
  
"Come out." said an old voice, weathered by years of living. The boys crawled out from  
  
beneath the tables and stood straight. A tiny old woman stood before them, if standing was  
  
the word. More like balancing herself on top of a gnarled cane as old as herself. Her bulbous  
  
eyes betrayed nothing but annoyance at little children. Five guards flanked her back and  
  
stood ramrod straight.  
  
"So?" she said, waiting for the excuse she knew would sprout from the princes' lips. Before  
  
Ryoga could confess Ranma spoke up.  
  
"We were just out shopping." he said calmly, inspecting the invisible dirt underneath his nails.  
  
"What more do you have to buy after the horses, the clothes, the books, the weapons, the-"  
  
Ranma's eyes frantically looked around and caught sight of a dirty boy coming out from the  
  
backroom of the bar.  
  
"A personal servant for myself." he said, calmly looking straight at the woman's eyes. "I don't  
  
like the servants the emperor are giving us. I want one I chose on my own, one I can trust.  
  
And since father was preoccupied Ryoga and I decided to go look for one by ourselves. And  
  
you know we are capable of handling ourselves in trouble."  
  
"Since you two are the ones always starting the trouble." she replied.  
  
Ranma gave a small sigh, she had bought it and now she would go on and on about what a  
  
disappointment the two were. All of a sudden he was flying in the air and crashing down into a  
  
table. He flinched from the hard impact and heard a similar crash as his brother landed right  
  
beside him. The woman gave a smirk and began to hop out the bar.  
  
"That's for leaving dinner. Now hurry up and get your servant boy, we'll be waiting outside.  
  
And no more tricks Ranma. Not tonight."  
  
Silence reigned the bar and Ranma picked himself off, not bothering to dust off the splinters  
  
of wood or dust that was on his clothes. He motioned a waitress to come to him and  
  
whispered instructions in her ear, slipping a handful of gold in her hand. The girl gave a curt  
  
nod and rushed to the newcomer that had come out of the backroom. There was a loud  
  
whispered argument which ended when the boy was pushed to Ranma by a group of girls.  
  
Ranma surveyed his new servant carefully. Rather short, maybe 13 years old, long blue hair,  
  
a stubborn expression, and curiously enough, armbands and gloves meant for males who  
  
practiced the fighting arts. He nonchalently gave an unexpected punch towards the boy who  
  
blocked it with ease. The boy's eyes were narrowed and Ranma gave a reassuring slap on his  
  
shoulder.  
  
"Just testing a theory. Don't worry, I won't beat you."  
  
"What right have you to simply buy a person?" the boy asked, anger clearly in his rather soft  
  
voice. "I'm not cattle to be sold and bought."  
  
"Welcome to the real world." Ranma drawled, motioning his guards to take the boy. "And  
  
don't try anything funny, you won't last a second." The boy glared but made no resisting  
  
movements. Ryoga looked on, his arms in their usual crossed way.  
  
"Nice excuse, but what are you gonna do with the kid?" he asked as they walked out the bar.  
  
Ranma hopped onto his horse and had the guards hand him his new servant. The boy was  
  
strangely silent and very tense as he sat in front of Ranma.  
  
"I'll use him for a while and dump him when we leave for China." Ranma said and kicked his  
  
heels.  
  
*This is my first Ranma story and I wanted to give it a try since it's an awesome anime. I'm pretty sure you guys have figured it out by now who the girl is: Akane! and everybody thinks she is a guy! let's see if Ranma ever figures out her secret, and just what the heck is her real identity? (don't forget to review and tell me how the story is, do you like it, blah blah blah, oh, and hint hint, i love long reviews!) 


	2. The Baka Deal

The Baka Deal  
  
She stood as stiff as she could as they rode down the street and up towards the gleaming red  
  
gates of the palace. She didn't say a word and tried to contain her fists which were eager to  
  
backhand this man who had 'bought' her. Was this how all slaves felt? No doubt she would  
  
have to be at this stupid male's beck and call not to mention at his complete mercy. She had  
  
seen the old woman hit the two boys, nothing but a blur and all it took was a little tap to  
  
throw them in the air. It was an incredible speed and power she had never seen in such a  
  
small creature. It took no effort whatsoever to throw heavily muscular guys around like they  
  
were pieces of paper. If this was what one old woman could do, what about the guards who  
  
still flanked around them? Rule number one to survival, never underestimate an enemy. The  
  
horse abruptly stopped and the boy hopped off. She turned her head away and stubbornly  
  
refused to come off the horse. *He has no idea what he has just bought* She smirked at the  
  
thought, thinking of all the lovely ways she could drive her new master crazy. A hand  
  
grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her off, making her land on her rump.  
  
"Itei!"  
  
She had landed on the large bruise already there from the four day's journey in the covered  
  
wagon. Ranma towered over her, his face dark from the lack of light in the courtyard.  
  
"Listen up, I won't stand for any of your crap, understand? You will obey every order and  
  
every wish that I give out because you don't have a choice."  
  
She hopped to her feet and stuck her face into Ranma's, going on tiptoe because of her height.  
  
"You listen up, I won't stand for any of your crap either because I know you didn't buy me  
  
because you needed me. So cut the act because I know you have dozens of other people to  
  
order around. Why don't you do the right thing and set me free?"  
  
He gave a sly smile and walked inside the building without answering her question, two more  
  
guards took her arm and began to follow the boy into the palace. In there they stopped  
  
before an ornately decorated shoji door. The guards bowed and left their presence leaving  
  
only Ranma and his newly acquired servant.  
  
"You'll sleep in a seperate bedroom connected to mine. You'll rise up at dawn to personally  
  
make my breakfast. Then you'll clean my rooms daily and don't ever touch my personal  
  
things. After that, we'll see what I need you to do for me." he said, opening his doors and  
  
leading her in. It was a pigsty, literally. Clothes were strewn about everywhere along with  
  
different types of weapons, books, and just everything you could think of. Her mouth  
  
dropped open at the sight.  
  
"You expect me to clean all this?!" she said, nudging a few piles of junk cluttered about. A staff  
  
caught sight of her eye and she moved a little closer to it till it was within the reach of her  
  
foot.  
  
"Of course. You'll start tomorrow, bright and ear-"  
  
She scooped the staff up with her foot and neatly caught it in mid air, already swinging it  
  
towards his head before he could finish his sentence. He ducked and rolled, grabbing a staff as  
  
well and blocked another attack. She spun and kicked, attacking at every point of his body  
  
with both weapon and legs but he blocked with an even greater speed. With a little loop of his  
  
staff he disarmed her and rested the staff's head at her throat, making her back up against the  
  
wall. She stared daggers at him as he grinned.  
  
"You're good, but not good enough. You're footwork needs some practice too."  
  
She slapped the staff's head away in anger.  
  
"Don't you dare mock me!"  
  
She tried to punch him right in the face but he caught it with a hand. He made a confused  
  
expression and looked at the small fist that was encased in his own.  
  
"You are one scrawny little kid. How old are you anyway? 12? And do you ever work out or  
  
eat?" he asked curiously, her unexpected attack on him apparently forgotten. He continued  
  
to inspect her as if she was some new specimen.  
  
"I've never seen a guy as small as you, but you don't look that young either. Is it 13 then?" he  
  
asked again.  
  
"No! And for your information, I'm 16 years old and I am in no respects a child!" First a man,  
  
now a kid? Was her looks deteriorating already? She knew it was bad but never this bad!  
  
Ranma ignored her and opened another set of shoji doors which revealed an immaculate  
  
bedroom with beautiful chests of drawers and paintings decorating the tasteful room. Again,  
  
there was another pair of shoji doors which revealed a smaller, less elegant room.  
  
"This is where you sleep kid. And remember, breakfast at the crack of dawn! I like miso soup  
  
in the morning with two pieces of fish on the side and some pickled vegetables. Don't forget  
  
the tea." He said as he shoved her into the room and slammed the door shut.  
  
"Kora! I'm not your maid!" she shouted but was given no response. "And I'm NOT a kid." she  
  
said, kicking at the lone closet in her room. With a resolved sigh she threw open the closet  
  
doors and took out the mattress, blanket, and pillow. *Rest today, fight tomorrow* She told  
  
herself as she laid out her bed. Escape was currently out of the question, seeing as how her  
  
master appeared to be more skilled in fighting than she was. Which really pulled the plug on  
  
her pride of her own fighting skills. *Where did he ever learn to fight like that? He didn't even  
  
have to try...* Thoughts of the boy puzzled her even through the calming pull of sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He opened one eye, streams of warm sunlight settling on his face. The sunrise had already  
  
past and gone, yet, where was his breakfast? He kicked off his silken blanket and quietly slid  
  
the boy's door open. He was sleeping sideways on his mattress, long blue hair spilling out of  
  
the bun he had on. Ranma leaned closer and was quickly punched on the face. Surprised at  
  
being caught unaware he glared at the servant, preparing to give a harsh scolding but the boy  
  
was still.....asleep? A foot whizzed by and slammed into Ranma's shoulder with the force of an  
  
elephant. And the boy was still asleep?! How was it that last night Ranma had been able to  
  
block every attack but now he was being hit at every turn? The boy suddenly sat up and  
  
Ranma jumped back. The boy's hands reached out and grabbed Ranma's shirt and promptly  
  
began to shake him like crazy. Ranma desperately tried to pry the boy's hands off his shirt but  
  
it was a death grip.  
  
"Itei!! What the hell are you doing you crazy boy??!!" yelled Ranma as he began to get a  
  
headache. The boy's eyes open in a flash and punched Ranma's face before he was even  
  
completely awake.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing in my room?" he asked as he yawned and covered his mouth. Ranma  
  
sourly looked at his servant with his hair all out of place, a large bruise on the cheek, and  
  
probably a bruise on the shoulder as well.  
  
"Mmm, that was a good dream. I don't think I've slept so well in ages." the boy went on,  
  
stretching his arms and legs. He finally looked at Ranma and gawked at the prince's  
  
disgruntled state.  
  
"What happened to you? You look like you got run over by a cart." the boy innocently asked,  
  
hands folded in his lap. "Ah, it's about breakfast isn't? I already made it hours ago, it's in your  
  
room that looks like a pig's pen. While you eat, I'm going to take a bath, ok?" The boy got up  
  
without waiting for an answer and sped out of the room.  
  
"Teme...you think you can treat your master like that!" Ranma bellowed and ran after his  
  
servant. He stopped in mid step as he entered into his sitting room. It was immaculately  
  
clean but that wasn't what made him stop. What made him stop was the sickeningly putrid  
  
stench coming from a small table of food. He cautiously walked towards it, pinching the  
  
openings of his nose with one hand. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. A bowl  
  
of a brownish liquid with the consistency of mud, two burnt sticks, a bowl of dark looking  
  
porridge, and a tiny dish of pickles. The smell wafting from the food was incredible, it was so  
  
bad he could almost taste it on his tongue. Where was his miso? And his two fish and his rice?!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She peered around the women's bath, making sure nobody was in there, and hopped into the  
  
room with her little towel. With a deep sigh she began to scrub her body with the soap laying  
  
around, making sure to get every inch. Two weeks of going without a bath is not a pretty sight  
  
and it didn't feel good either. She lathered her hair three times, rinsed, then settled into the  
  
hot bath. She was just starting to feel her muscles relax when shouts crept into her ears. It  
  
sounded like her master in a hot temper. What had she done now? After spending an hour and  
  
a half cleaning that messy room (she threw everything into a tall pile in the garden right  
  
outside his window) and an additional hour cooking, her body was exhausted. She wasn't  
  
going to drive him crazy until after she ate breakfast, which wasn't till after her bath. Well,  
  
there was that episode in the morning when she had punched and kicked him while faking  
  
sleep. But she couldn't help it, he was entering her room without even knocking! Did he think  
  
she was so bad at martial arts that she couldn't hear someone moving around? With a shrug  
  
she dipped her head under the water to erase the sounds of him screaming for his servant.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After a thorough fight, which included Ranma insulting his servant's cooking skills and his  
  
servant daydreaming and completely blocking the insults, Ranma dragged her to the dojo.  
  
"Hey, I know how to walk, you don't have to drag me around! I'm tired of people grabbing my  
  
arm and leading me!" she argued while Ranma stomped about. "Hey! Are you even  
  
listening?!" Ranma continued to ignore her ranting and slid open a door, throwing her inside.  
  
She rolled and flipped up, landing on her feet.  
  
"Some master you are, do you abuse all your servants like this or am I a special case?" she  
  
said, looking around the room. It was just like any other traditional dojo except it was almost  
  
falling apart in the inside. Most of the walls had holes or large dents and the ceiling was in the  
  
same condition as well.  
  
"He abuses all his servants like this, including his family members." said a new voice from  
  
behind the shadows. She turned quickly, body already in the ready stance; Right foot  
  
distanced back and her hands in fists. The other boy from yesterday popped out of the corner  
  
wearing the same clothes she had seen him in.  
  
"Who are you?" she boldly asked.  
  
"Stop asking questions." Ranma said, slapping the back of her head. "We're here to practice."  
  
"Then why am I here? Can't I go off on my own and do some servant duties?" she asked batting  
  
her eyes to portray the ultimate picture of innocence.  
  
"No, because I KNOW you will try to escape and I want you under my eyes at all times. So be  
  
quiet and sit in the corner." Ranma's eyes gave her a silent warning and she reluctantly  
  
obeyed his orders. But the practice itself was an educational experiance. Ranma had the  
  
speed and agility, not to mention the self discipline. Ryoga was quite sloppy but his strength  
  
was incredible. Most of the holes in the dojo must have been from him. And he took every hit  
  
as if it was nothing. She observed every move, counter, and block and stored it away for her  
  
own future use. If she ever had her own time to practice, she wanted to try out some of the  
  
interesting and completely foreign fighting techniques the two brothers were using. The  
  
practice was finally over when Ryoga was lying unmoving on the ground and Ranma was  
  
stepping on his back.  
  
"Hey, you don't have to be so callous and stomp on your brother when he's down." she  
  
berated Ranma as he wiped his face with a towel.  
  
"He'll be fine, he's had worse beatings from me." he nonchalantly said and began to walk out  
  
the dojo. She was leaning over to check if Ryoga was breathing or not when Ranma barked  
  
out her name. Ryoga stirred and slowly opened his eyes. She held up three fingers before his  
  
face.  
  
"How many fingers am I holding?" she asked the disoriented boy.  
  
"Mmm, six?" he said, a lopsided smile on his face.  
  
She gave a grin. "Close enough, I suppose."  
  
"Hey!" a voice said from behind her. She didn't turn around and only gave a sigh, looking  
  
down at Ryoga.  
  
"Take it easy, ok? You shouldn't let him push you around like that." she gave a small smile and  
  
stood, her muscles groaning for exercise.  
  
"What kind of servant are you if you don't even listen to me?" Ranma complained as his  
  
servant walked ahead of him.  
  
"What kind of master are you if you won't let me be?" she retorted, quickening her pace but  
  
her master kept right up with her. "Do all masters normally follow their servant around  
  
everywhere?" she asked him.  
  
"Ones that are due to escape any second." he said smoothly. "Hey, you should cut your hair,  
  
don't you ever worry that it will get in the way during a fight?" he pulled on the ends of her  
  
hair none too gently. She whipped her hair out of his grasp.  
  
"Never, I'm going to keep growing it and growing it until it drives you nuts or until you set me  
  
free."  
  
"Baka, you'll be my slave for as long as I live. Which means forever." Ranma poked at her  
  
forehead. She poked him back harder, making him stumble backwards.  
  
"Baka times one million, you aren't immortal." *poke*  
  
"Baka times TWO million, forever means as long as I live." *poke poke*  
  
"Baka times three million, forever means the end of time. And I am NOT spending eternity  
  
with you." Ranma grabbed her index finger before it could poke him again.  
  
"How about a deal? The day that you beat me in a fight will be the day I set you free?" She  
  
pulled her finger out of his grasp and gave a bright smile.  
  
"Deal!"  
  
"You better start practicing now because you don't have a chance against me." he flipped his  
  
pigtail and stood straight with his hands on his waist, trying to appear the handsome hero.  
  
She poked him in the forehead with her finger.  
  
"Baka, why don't YOU start practicing instead?" *poke*  
  
"Baka times one million, you need the practice more than I do. What kind of sloppy technique  
  
was yesterday's?" *poke poke poke*  
  
"BAKA times TWO million, you're gonna die!!!!!!"  
  
-teme: why you! (usually used when angry or annoyed) -baka: stupid *hehehe, so now we got a deal going on. And tons of thanks to people who like my story! I wasn't expecting such reviews, and quite a few were long too! I LOVE long reviews! And I've been looking for some really good Ranma stories, but haven't found any yet. So if you guys know any, could you put in the title and author in your review? Much thanks!  
  
Elysium and Lonely Soul: this is going to be a ranma/akane fic, but with a little ryoga romance thrown in and whatever else i can think of while i'm writing  
  
tigerrelly: i'm glad you caught that. i didn't put it down word for word that Ranma and Ryoga are princes from China, so i was wondering if anybody was getting that. and i can't give away the fact on if akane is a princess or not because i'm still debating over that myself ^^  
  
lili boom: yeah, Akane can be quite the tomboy but she'll have her moments of acting like a girl too. i don't want her to just act like a guy throughout the whole story 


	3. Double Duty

Double Duty  
  
Her brown eyes darted back and forth, checking all corners for her master. Still cautious, she  
  
slowly tiptoed out of her hiding spot and dove into the dojo. Nobody was in there and she  
  
breathed a sigh of relief while closing the doors shut. She had stuck an 'Out of Order' sign on  
  
the door for good measure, just in case if Ranma decided to look in the dojo. If she was going  
  
to fight for her freedom, then she needed some serious practice time. She did a few  
  
combinations to warm up, then started on the real practice. The techniques she had seen  
  
Ranma use were incrediblely strong and lacked any flaws, it also had a taste of China to it.  
  
She'd try it out first then make a few adjustments here and there to better suit her body. After  
  
half an hour she dropped to the ground in frustration. She needed to see the routine a few  
  
more times before she could get the gist of it. And worse still, there was no partner to try it  
  
on. How was she going to free herself if she couldn't master the techniques that Ranma used?  
  
Maybe she wasn't the best Japan had. Was that why she had gotten caught by those amateurs?  
  
She pulled her knees up to her chin and rested her cheek on them, looking sideways at the  
  
rundown dojo. She still had to get to the emperor. Her information was vital and nobody else  
  
could give it to him except her. Japan could fall while she slaved around for some baka!  
  
Letting the self pity pass, she slowly got up. Failure was not an option for her, not when Japan  
  
needed her the most.  
  
"Stupid Ranma." she said and tried to imitate the technique again.  
  
"I'll have to agree on that." said a voice from the doors.  
  
She whirled around to see Ryoga closing the door behind him.  
  
"I thought I'd put in some practice myself. You're not half that bad." he remarked, his feet  
  
creating muffled echoes as he walked. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Are you going to tell Ranma I'm here?" she asked tentatively. "I just wanted some time  
  
without him complaining or insulting me."  
  
"How about we practice together? I heard about your deal with Ranma. Deals are something  
  
Ranma uses often." Ryoga began to stretch his arms and legs.  
  
"Why? I thought that as a noble, he would just demand something if he wanted it."  
  
Ryoga quickly jabbed at her left side and she moved away just in time. His speed was good.  
  
She thought he was pretty slow but it was because Ranma was moving so much faster. And he  
  
was careful to limit his strength if one of his punches or kicks landed on her. Altogether, it  
  
was a good practice and both got something out of it. But she wasn't going to improve unless  
  
they started with something difficult.  
  
"Do you know any special moves that could beat Ranma?" she asked while they sat down on  
  
the dojo floor.  
  
"I'm still learning myself. And Ranma likes to use deals to trap people, he doesn't strike one up  
  
unless he's sure he'll win."  
  
"What?! Does that mean he knows he'll win against me?! she jumped to her feet and growled  
  
through her teeth. "That jerk, if he thinks that I'm so weak that I ca-"  
  
"Calm down." Ryoga pulled her down. "If I can't beat him, then I'd say you can't. I've been  
  
trying for years but it ends up in either a stalemate or he wins."  
  
She frowned at Ryoga's words.  
  
"I can't give up, there is no way I can't. If I don't beat him soon, then the emp-then I'll have to  
  
spend an eternity with Ranma." she grimaced at the thought and started stretching. "What I  
  
can do is practice and practice till I'm sure I'll beat him."  
  
"Which will take weeks and weeks." Ryoga said while getting up. "Good luck, servant, but I  
  
can't guarantee a win." He slid open the door and walked out. Was he right? Was this an  
  
obstacle too big for her to overcome? All this self doubt was so new to her, she never had to  
  
question her prowess in martial arts before. But ever since meeting Ranma she had felt that  
  
the skills she possessed were not exceptional but ordinary. If there was one thing that scared  
  
her, it was being an ordinary girl. A girl that lacked goals or dreams and did nothing but order  
  
servants and pick what clothes to wear. A girl who was like any other girl. She had never  
  
shined in beauty but she had always shined in fighting. Without her martial arts, she was  
  
nothing. Just a plain face in a crowd of thousands.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma was stomping near the dojo when his ki felt someone inside. The person was emitting  
  
strong emotions, strong enough to be felt. *Sadness? Who could be sad?* He silently opened  
  
the door an inch and peered inside. It was his servant sitting on the floor, looking more  
  
forlorn than he had ever seen him. His hair was mussed and chestnut eyes looked down on  
  
the wooden floorboards in deep thought. For the first time, Ranma realized how shabby his  
  
servant's clothes were. And also how young as well, perhaps he had been a little too harsh on  
  
him? Did he even know the boy's name? Suddenly he felt guilty for treating him so bad. True,  
  
servants were meant to follow orders but this boy never seemed like the kind of person to  
  
follow. Ranma closed the door and stepped a few feet away from the dojo. He had been taking  
  
his anger at his father and everybody else and had been centering it on this boy. He took a  
  
deep breath. The least he could do was treat the little guy somewhat nicer. Though what kind  
  
of servant would poison their own master with terrible cooking? Just thinking of that tray of  
  
food made him shudder. Clearing his throat he began to yell.  
  
"OY! Servant!!!! Where'd you go?!" Ranma stomped on the wooden steps and threw open the  
  
door. The dojo was empty and Ranma scanned the area, only to see an opened window.  
  
Someone poked the back of his head and he turned around to see his servant.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Ranma muttered and shoved his hands in his pockets. What could he do to  
  
be more nice to his servant? *Clothes, that's right, clothes. Something other than those  
  
samurai rags he wears* He tipped his head. Why was his servant wearing samurai clothes?  
  
Was he some kind of assassin? No, too young but she did hold some talent...  
  
"Eat something wrong today?" his servant asked from behind.  
  
"No, why?" he asked.  
  
"You look like you're thinking." his servant answered.  
  
"Whaddya mean-kora! That's no way to talk to your master!" he bellowed, turning to grab his  
  
servant. The boy skipped off in front of him, keeping a short distance away from his hands.  
  
"I know I know. I've already heard the 'that's no way to act or talk to your master' lecture a  
  
hundred times already. Where are we going?" he asked while dodging another swipe.  
  
"Clothes, the ones you have on are terrible and don't befit the station of a servant to the royal  
  
prince." he explained as he opened the door to the clothes making woman. He shoved his  
  
servant in front of her and watched as the woman clucked her tongue at the raggy material.  
  
"Y-you're a prince?" the boy exclaimed while the woman began to pick at the material with a  
  
frown.  
  
"Your royal highness Prince Ranma from the Chinese Empire." he drawled. "Give him a decent  
  
wardrobe of clothes. And when you're done, send him to my room."  
  
"Hey, wait, my clothes are fine-" she was going to follow him when the woman pulled him back  
  
with surprising strength.  
  
"Forget it laddie, nobody goes around dressing like you while I'm here. Now take off those  
  
abominable clothes, they make my very eyes hurt." the woman cackled, already starting to  
  
pull the clothes down. Before she could protest it was too late, her gi slipped down to reveal a  
  
breast band and a chest that couldn't be missed. The woman's eyes grew round with  
  
astonishment.  
  
"Eh, um.....well...." the embarassed girl stammered, trying to think of an excuse.  
  
"No wonder!" the woman exclaimed. "I thought you looked to be too slender for a boy, even a  
  
young 'un!"  
  
"Grandmother, please don't tell anybody about this! I can explain everything but don't give  
  
away who I am!" she pleaded. The woman gave a huff.  
  
"Who do you think I am, one of those gossiping kitchen women? But you will tell me your  
  
story while I fit you for some clothes, my old ears haven't heard a good tale in decades."  
  
The girl confessed that she was just a rurouni who had gotten caught in a trap and Fumiko,  
  
the clothing woman, lapped it up while measuring her arms and legs. She exaggerated the  
  
story, saying it was over a dozen well trained warriors who had outnumbered her in a well  
  
planned trap. Then of how she was sold to cruel slave traders who had beaten her  
  
mercilessly. After an hour of great elaborating, she was wearing a loose uniform made of a  
  
creamy yellow cotton that hid her female body.  
  
"I'll send more clothes to you when I've finished 'em. Bye dearie." Fumiko waved to her as she  
  
jogged back to Ranma's rooms.  
  
"It's laddie, not dearie!" she shouted back, reminding the woman.  
  
"Tadaima! Where's lunch?" she shouted, sliding the door shut behind her. Only silence greeted  
  
her and she curiously looked around but he wasn't in his quarters. "Where did that baka go?"  
  
she murmured to herself. Shrugging her shoulders she stepped out into Ranma's private  
  
garden. She spotted the huge pile of Ranma's trash by the window of his sitting room and  
  
cringed, hoping that Ranma rarely came out to his garden. His garden had high walls about a  
  
15 feet high for privacy and there was a large clear pond in the middle. It had an artistic and  
  
well carved bridge leading over the pond, and in the waters were fishes of all colors  
  
swimming about. There was a forest of bamboo that grew high in thick clumps everywhere so  
  
that the sun could only shine through in slivers. It was so quiet that she could hear her own  
  
footsteps as she explored the garden. When she reached a wall she was surprised to find a  
  
small door. She pushed and it slowly opened to reveal another garden. Getting even more  
  
curious she stepped into the new garden and nearly ran into a well dressed lady.  
  
"Ah, my apologies, lady." she quickly bowed her head and was trying to inch back to the door  
  
but was stopped by a curt command.  
  
"Wait." the lady said. "And hold your head up, I can't see your face at all."  
  
She reluctantly lifted her head. The lady was quite beautiful, the same height as her but  
  
managing to look tall and imposing. Long black hair was tied back in a simple bun and she  
  
held a no nonsense air with almond colored eyes.  
  
"I like you. You don't seem as docile and stupid as most of the women in this palace. You'll be  
  
my maid from now on but perhaps a friend as well." the lady stated.  
  
"Um, excuse me, lady, but-"  
  
"Ukyo. Call me Ukyo, not lady. I just arrived here and I need a companion as well as help. So  
  
you'll be my maid?" Ukyo opened her eyes as wide as she could and made her lips tremble.  
  
"Er, I guess so-" she mumbled, unsure of her choice. But was swept away by Ukyo's hug.  
  
"Wonderful, so what is your name?" she asked.  
  
"Akane." the girl grumbled.  
  
"Akane-chan, you are my first friend in this palace!" Ukyo exclaimed and began to drag her  
  
towards her own rooms. How could Akane refuse? Not only was Ukyo the first person to not  
  
mistake her as a man but the first female who actually wanted to befriend her. With a sigh she  
  
let the desperate noble drag her around. Now she was a servant AND a maid, how did she get  
  
herself into these situations???  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ukyo was crazy about feminine things. Absolutely, positively CRAZY. The second Akane was  
  
innocently led to Ukyo's sitting room she was pounced on by servants and had her clothes  
  
pulled off a second time that day.  
  
"Kora!! What are you doing?!" Akane shouted from beneath the dogpile of servants. Ukyo  
  
calmly watched it all with glittering eyes.  
  
"I can't have my maid looking like a man, you will be dressed to fit the station of the most  
  
esteemed Lady Ukyo Kuonji."  
  
*Good grief, first a suit of clothes for his ROYAl highness, and now another suit of clothes for  
  
her ESTEEMED lady???*  
  
After being stripped to her birthday suit Akane was promptly thrown into a bathtub that had  
  
come out of nowhere. Once she was scrubbed from head to toe with the heavenly scents of  
  
flowers she was ordered to stand in silk underclothes in front of Ukyo and another servant.  
  
Ukyo stroked her chin in thought as she looked at Akane up and down.  
  
"What do you think of the light pink with that border of sakura blossoms?" Ukyo asked the  
  
woman standing beside her. The woman began to stroke her chin just like Ukyo.  
  
"Hmm, perhaps a nice shade of blue, it will bring out the color of her hair. And a cream  
  
colored obi to bring out the skin tone, such beautiful skin. It could almost rival yours, Lady  
  
Ukyo, you have done well to choose this maid."  
  
Ukyo gave a high and mighty smile and nodded her approval at the woman's choice, in which  
  
it was brought out and put on Akane in lightning speed. An hour later, Akane had been  
  
scrubbed, powdered, pulled, and tweaked to the perfect lady. When she turned to look at a  
  
tall mirror, she almost gave a gasp. She....she.....she looked like a GIRL. A real honest to kami  
  
girl! They had artfully curled her hair so that it tumbled into waves of blue, giving the eye an  
  
image of the ocean. A touch of some strange powder here and there to make her skin glow  
  
and a silvery eye shadow that made her eyes seem impossibly large. The kimono was of the  
  
finest silk and was a two shades lighter then her own hair with a border of cranes. Ukyo  
  
clapped her hands with happiness.  
  
"You clean up so nicely, Akane-chan! I don't think anybody could mistake you as a maid but a  
  
fine lady made by my very own hands. Come, I must show you off to everybody." Ukyo took  
  
her hand and once again began to drag (*goodness, people really seem to love dragging  
  
Akane around in this story!) her outside the building. However when they both burst outside  
  
of the building they ran into someone, literally. Ukyo tripped over her feet but gracefully  
  
caught herself in time. Akane wasn't as lucky was because of the uneven weight of Ukyo  
  
pushing her forward she almost flew towards the ground, if an arm hadn't grabbed her waist.  
  
Wincing from her own clumsiness (Ukyo pushing her forward to prevent her own fall) she  
  
looked up at her savior and her mouth dropped. Ranma was staring down at her with  
  
astonished eyes, still holding her steady with his arm.  
  
"Uh....uh.....I can explain?" she weakily said.  
  
*Tadaima-i'm home, i'm back *Kora-hey! (commonly used when angry or annoyed)  
  
lili boom: hehehe, well, akane is an elite spy, but that doesn't mean she isn't like any other normal 16 year old girl. and yeah, i want ryoga and akane to be friends, but ryoga won't be the eternally lost boy in this story.  
  
tigerrelly: hey! tons of thanks for the long review! and yup, i'm still considuring the princess thing. and you got a quick mind, yes, akane IS some kind of nobility. but still, the princess thing, i dunno, i'm thinking about it! and his reason of not trusting any of the emperor's servants is partially true, but ranma doesn't really trust anybody at all. at least not completely. the whole not trusting the emperor's servant was just a believable excuse for cologne so she would get off of his back. and i thought the poking forehead thing was pretty funny too! ^^ and it would be so great if you could tell me some good ranma stories!! 


	4. Fiance? Two Fiances?

Fiance? Two Fiances??  
  
Gorgeous was the first thought that came to mind. Beautiful, stunning, lovely, exquisite  
  
all followed directly after it, and he couldn't find the right word to describe her. Despite  
  
her court clothing, she didn't seem at all like the vapid and dull ladies that flocked the  
  
palace grounds. From her, he sensed a strength that couldn't be broken. Her lips  
  
moved, saying something, but he didn't hear, still entranced by the maiden who had  
  
fallen into his arms...and his life. A hand waved in his vision and he was jerked from his  
  
thoughts. The other woman was the one who had waved the hand.  
  
"What?" he nearly snapped.  
  
"If you could let go of my maid, your most royal highness?" Ukyo said haughtily,  
  
somewhat miffed that he was staring at her maid and not her.  
  
"Maid?" he released his arm and she stood up on her own, hurriedly scooting behind  
  
Ukyo.  
  
"Ah, but enough about my maid, don't you remember me Ran-chan?" Ukyo cooed,  
  
motioning Akane to leave behind her back. Akane gave a bow to them both and was  
  
gone faster than you could say prince.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She threw herself into the nearest room and leaned against the door, her heart rate  
  
going a hundred miles per hour. *OH KAMI, he saw my face!!!!! Did he recognize me at  
  
all??? What am I going to do What am I going to do What am I going to do What am I  
  
going to do?!* She smacked her forehead several times.  
  
"Baka baka baka!! What were you doing prancing around outside in all that finery?" she  
  
said to herself.  
  
*Because it made you feel good* her conscience answered back.  
  
"That's stupid, why should I care about how I look?" she prowled back and forth before  
  
the closed door, still scolding herself on her stupidity.  
  
*Because you've never looked beautiful*  
  
Akane stopped in her tracks. It was true, painfully so. Her whole life had spent as a  
  
tomboy, never caring how bruises marred a perfect complexion, how dirt hid a unique  
  
face, how loose clothes covered a slender body. Then there was how so many people  
  
always saw her as a boy, never a girl.  
  
"Am I really so ugly?" she whispered.  
  
She wished she could feel sad, just to feel a bit of self pity. But she found herself growing  
  
angry. She had never doubted herself and her path as a warrior, she had never been  
  
bothered by her male appearance, not until Ranma had walked into her life. It was all  
  
his fault that she was doubting herself! It all stemmed from him!  
  
"Ranma, you jerk! I'll escape from you one day!"  
  
She opened the door a little and peeked through. She couldn't hear Ukyo at all, which  
  
meant that they must have left. With on last glance, she sprinted to Ranma's room and  
  
threw herself into her room. She hurriedly took off all the finery, scrubbing the makeup  
  
off with the bowl of water in her room. She was just tying the belt to her new servant  
  
uniform when Ranma stomped in.  
  
"Oy!! Servant!" He yelled out.  
  
Akane almost had a heart attack, he sounded angry and annoyed. Had he figured it out  
  
already? She bit her lip and very slowly walked to the sitting room. He was sitting down  
  
at his table with his eyebrows furrowed deeply.  
  
"Where's my tea?" He demanded.  
  
She let out the breath she had been holding and scampered off to the kitchens to get  
  
some tea. Ranma looked at her as she stepped outside, puzzled. Was it him, or was that  
  
the first time she had obeyed an order without arguing? Something wrong. He jumped  
  
up and followed his servant.  
  
"Hey, wait!"  
  
His servant turned around to look almost terrified at him. What was this? His bold and  
  
loud servant showing fear? Was someone at the palace picking on him or something?  
  
Ranma gave a scowl. It was bound to happen sooner or later, seeing how scrawny the  
  
kid was.  
  
"Is someone picking on you at all? Cuz if they are-"  
  
"No, that's not it. Just let me get your tea."  
  
His servant turned to leave but Ranma grabbed his shirt collar.  
  
"Hold it, why are you listening to me?" Ranma asked accusingly.  
  
"Uh, because I'm your servant?"  
  
"Wrong answer, you never listened to me before, why are you starting now?"  
  
Akane looked at him in complete shock.  
  
"So you want me to not listen to you and argue with you all the time and pick on you  
  
too?"  
  
"It seems more normal than this submissive servant behavior." Ranma growled.  
  
"First off," She pointed a finger at his face. "I AM a servant, seeing as how you bought me  
  
like some cow. Second, I am suppose to be submissive because I am a SERVANT. Which  
  
brings us back to number one. Are all princes as idiotic as you are?"  
  
"Kora!! All princes are intelligent and quick, like me!" Ranma yelled as his servant began  
  
to walk towards the kitchen again. Ranma followed right behind. "And I'm just saying  
  
that you aren't displaying normal behavior!"  
  
"So if all princes are like you, does that mean that they are short tempered and  
  
irrational as well?" The cook gave her a tray of tea and two cups and waved her away.  
  
Ranma still followed her as she walked back to their rooms. "You really do fit the role of  
  
an arrogant male prince, you know that?" She sat the tray down and took a seat, pouring  
  
tea for the both of them.  
  
"How would you know? You probably haven't met any princes before me." Ranma  
  
pointed out as he took a gulp, burning his throat in the process. Akane gave him an  
  
amused look as he began to cough up a storm.  
  
"Don't assume things." She said when his coughing finally died down.  
  
"So you've met princes before?" He said, clearly not believing her.  
  
"Who knows?" She gave a shrug. "Maybe I have, maybe I haven't."  
  
*If you call all those brainless dolts that came to visit the Emperor. Oh kami, how could  
  
I have forgotten? I gotta train some more to beat Ranma or I'm never getting out of  
  
here*  
  
"Oy."  
  
"What?" She snapped at him.  
  
"What's your name anyway?"  
  
*Ack, name name, what should my name be?!*  
  
"A-Kane."  
  
"Akane?"  
  
"No, dummy, why would I have a girl's name? I meant Kane. Why do you want to know?"  
  
A door slammed open and a purple blur latched itself to Ranma's waist.  
  
"Aieee!! Ranma!!" A Chinese girl with long purple hair was hugging Ranma as hard as she  
  
could. The prince was slowly turning purple at the face at her iron grip. "I miss you so  
  
much in China that I come here to be with you and grandmother!! Wo Ai Ni!!" She  
  
stopped her hugging to look at Akane from across the table. "Who that?" She pointed a  
  
sword that came out of nowhere at the servant. Ranma took wheezing breaths and  
  
pushed the Chinese girl's sword off to the side.  
  
"He's my *wheeze* new servant."  
  
"Looks too young and small."  
  
Akane closed her eyes and counted to ten.  
  
"I am 16 years old." She said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Good thing you not girl, Shampoo would kill you if you were." The look on the Chinese  
  
girl's face was no joke. She looked like she was ready to kill somebody right then. "Being  
  
in same bedroom with my fiance is death wish."  
  
Akane raised an eyebrow at the news.  
  
"Oh? I didn't know you were engaged Ranma."  
  
"I'm not." Ranma now struggled to get Shampoo's hold on his neck off. "Shampoo, I think  
  
Cologne wants to see you."  
  
Shampoo reluctantly released her hands. "Ranma right, Shampoo must report to  
  
grandmother. Grandmother say that maybe if Ranma get in more trouble then I  
  
become Ranma's bodyguard." She beamed as she waved goodbye to the two.  
  
"Interesting fiance you got. Very cute girl though." Akane gave a sly smile.  
  
Ranma glared at her as he rubbed his neck.  
  
"We're not engaged, she just likes to think we are. And remind me to be on my best  
  
behavior until Shampoo leaves."  
  
"Why? She seems to LOOVE being around you." Akane rubbed her hands together, here  
  
was her perfect chance. "How about an exchange? You let me go and I won't ask  
  
Shampoo to hang around 24/7."  
  
Ranma's jaw dropped straight open in shock. He pointed at her with a trembling hand.  
  
"Y-you WOULDN'T!!"  
  
"I WOULD." She threw back her head and gave a cackle. Oh yes, blackmail was sweet, oh  
  
soooo sweet. "So how about it?" She asked again.  
  
"You can't do this to me, I'm the prince! Besides, you can't go back on your word as a  
  
warrior."  
  
Ranma gloated as Akane's face fell.  
  
"That's unfair!" She shouted. Ranma leaned over the table.  
  
"Didn't you just try to blackmail me a minute ago?" He grinned.  
  
"It was for a good cause!" She argued back.  
  
It looked like another afternoon of arguing for our two friends...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Akane looked around, once, twice, thrice, then tiptoed out to the garden. She adjusted  
  
her skirt one more time before slipping through the little door that led to Ukyo's rooms.  
  
She knocked at the door once then stepped in to find Ukyo humming a tune while her  
  
maid brushed her hair.  
  
"Akane-chan! There you are! I said to go away, not disappear for hours. What happened  
  
to all your nice eye makeup and hair? And did you dress in the dark? Your clothes are  
  
all wrinkly!" Ukyo scrunched her nose at her new maid's disheveled appearance.  
  
"Anyways, Ran-chan and I had a FABULOUS time after you left. We took a little walk  
  
around and everybody must have seen me with the prince. Of course, I had to establish  
  
right away that we were engaged, goodness knows what sort dumb girl might try to take  
  
him away from me-"  
  
"You're his fiance?" Akane gaped. Was it customary for Chinese princes to have many  
  
fiances?  
  
"Of course, ever since we were children! Ran-chan came to Japan quite often with his  
  
father on diplomatic trips and he visited on some of our lands once." Ukyo's eyes glazed  
  
over as she started to reminisce. Akane listened with attentive ears. "He and I would  
  
play together so much that we were the best of friends (total lie). My father's land gives  
  
the best ingredients for Okonomiyaki so he always came over for dinner because we so  
  
close (another lie, he came for the food, not her). But then he had to leave for China so  
  
his father and mine made a promise that Ran-chan and I would get married in exchange  
  
for free Okonomiyaki for life." Ukyo and her combing maid's eyes sparkled as they gave  
  
a sigh. Akane mentally rolled her eyes. *Good grief. Now how did Shampoo get engaged  
  
to him? For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more fiances of Ranma  
  
out there*  
  
"Akane-chan, I heard a rumor going around that Ran-chan has a Chinese fiance, is that  
  
true?"  
  
"Er..I don't know, I don't listen to palace gossip."  
  
Almost on cue, Ukyo's shoji door slammed opened to reveal a very pissed off Shampoo  
  
holding two large circular mallets in her hands. She pointed one of them at Ukyo just as  
  
she had done to Akane before.  
  
"You Ukyo?" Shampoo demanded. Ukyo stood up as tall as she could, even though she  
  
was as short as the Chinese girl herself.  
  
"That is I, what do you want?"  
  
"You dead for making lie about being Ranma's fiance!" Shampoo rushed at Ukyo but the  
  
girl nimbly leaped to the right, avoiding the powerful strike of the mallet.  
  
"My dear, I never lie about things like that. Ran-chan and I are engaged." Ukyo drawled  
  
as she dodged another attack.  
  
"Ranma never get engaged to ugly Japanese girl like you!"  
  
Ukyo glared at Shampoo.  
  
"Now you've gone too far, insulting my looks and heritage."  
  
Ukyo ripped off her kimono to reveal....an Okonomiyaki uniform? She held a  
  
humongous metal spatula in her hand, given to her by her maid.  
  
"I didn't study countless years of Okonomiyaki martial arts for nothing." She said  
  
proudly, welding her huge weapon like it was nothing.  
  
Akane watched this all with cool eyes as the two women faced off. *Good grief Ranma,  
  
what have you gotten yourself into?*  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
*Heeheehee, it was too perfect. I introduced Ukyo, now I had to bring Shampoo in the picture and start the brawl of the fiances that always seem to happen in the anime. It's a little shorter than usual, but ah well, I'll try to make up for it in the next chappie. PLEASE review and tell me what you think!!! 


	5. The Circus Grows Bigger

Author's notes: Man, this chapter was really late in coming.*looks fearfully around her* erm, I hope everybody enjoys this and I'll try not to be so late next time! *runs frantically away* I swear I'll try to do better!!!! *ducks various knives and daggers being angrily thrown*  
  
The Circus Grows Bigger  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
A large crash erupted the air, causing enormous waves of energy from two young women. A mallet crashed through the shoji door and landed in the pond with a splash. The impact on the door made it fall down to reveal a very angry Chinese girl and an equally angry Japanese girl. But if you looked off to the side, there was another lady who leaned against the far off wall with amusement in her eyes. She made no movement to stop the fight but only carefully observed every kick and punch given out.  
  
"You-" CRASH. "No good flirt!!!" An immense spatula squashed a delicate tea table into tiny splinters. "Who are you to think that you are Ranma's fiance!" Ukyo yelled as she dodged another mallet attack, allowing it to hit a priceless antique painting. She grabbed three kodachi-like mini spatulas from her belt and flung them at where Shampoo was standing but the girl leaped up into the air. The spatulas embedded deeply in the wall, only several inches away from Akane but the girl didn't blink. She did, however, gave a sigh, and wondered when the fight was going to end.  
  
"You liar!" Shampoo called out, sticking her tongue out as she kicked off from the wall to rush Ukyo with her mallet. "Ranma never engage to ugly tomboy like you!" Ukyo parried the blow with her spatula and the test of strength began. Ukyo pushed forward.  
  
"Oh yeah?! Well, Ranma wouldn't engage himself to an empty-headed, snot- nosed child like you!" Shampoo pushed back, making the mallet come perilously close to Ukyo's delicate nose.  
  
"Tomboy!!"  
  
"Child!!!"  
  
"Tomboy!!"  
  
"Child!!!!"  
  
A vein began popping on Akane's forehead as the two girls began to call out the very names that Akane herself despised. She walked forward and with a hard upper kick, disarmed both girls from their weapons.  
  
"Would you two please stop?! You have already ravaged a lovely room over some boy who probably doesn't deserve either of you!" She caught both weapons in the air, mallet in her right hand and the spatula in the left. "Though you two may be free to spar..erm, fight whenever you like, it is us SERVANTS that must clean up the mess. So could you two take it outside or to the dojo, if you please?" Akane twirled the weapons in her hands and gave a warning glint of her eyes.  
  
Ukyo and Shampoo marched up to Akane, shoulder to shoulder, suddenly growing ten feet. They both opened their mouths to say something but Ukyo's door slid open to show Ranma at the doorway. And all hell broke loose. Shampoo began to quiver with rage as her purple eyes sparkled animosity at her fiance while Ukyo drew her hands up to her mouth in the coy look of an infatuated teenager.  
  
"Ran-chan! You came for me!" She sang out as she rushed the prince. Ranma put his hands up and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact but it never came. Instead, he heard more crashes like earlier and opened to see his two fiances engaged in fist-to-fist battle. Shampoo had Ukyo in a headlock while Ukyo was elbowing the girl in the stomach. His eyes caught sight of a blue kimono. It was the lovely maid from before! He sauntered up to her with a nervous grin on his face.  
  
"Hey-"  
  
He was quickly smacked off to the side as the maid ran to the two girls with the weapons still in her hands. In two simultaneously swift moves, she tapped Shampoo at the back of the neck with the handle of the spatula and laid a light bonk on the top of Ukyo's head with the mallet. With an inaudible grumble, she tossed the weapons aside and made her way outside of the room in search of servants to clean the mess. Ranma rubbed his chest where the maid had smacked him and ran to catch up with her, surprised at how hard she could hit.  
  
"Hey, what was that for?!" He asked, annoyed. She gave a huff and only continued her own vexed grumbling. "Hey, the imperial prince is asking you a question!" He grabbed the maid's arm but was once again smacked at the chest, only by a different hand. He looked up to see his brother glaring down at him with the maid looking from behind.  
  
"You need to control yourself Ranma and stop bossing around ladies like her!" Ryoga growled with a slight blush. What was this? Was Ryoga defending a lady's honor? Ranma sprang up and pushed his brother back.  
  
"She's a maid, not a lady!" He argued angrily but was smacked on the head by the maid.  
  
"This MAID is also human!" She snapped at him. "And does not like being tossed around like some child's toy!!!" She snapped at both of them and proceeded to stomp down the hallway in search of something that had slipped her mind in her anger. Ranma landed a well placed blow between Ryoga's eyes and ran to catch up with the maid.  
  
"Hey, wait wait!" He grabbed her shoulder but was furiously shaken off as she whirled around to face him.  
  
"You really are the stereotypical arrogant prince that's always talked about in novels! You didn't do anything to stop the fight in there, leaving me to deal with it when it's all YOUR fault to begin with! Have you no responsibility whatsoever?! And just what were you doing going to Ukyo's room anyways? Not only are you arrogant but you're senseless too!" she blew up at him, making him lean back as she was almost nose to nose with him.  
  
"Why don't you grow up for a change instead of spending your days tormenting your servant!"  
  
"Huh? Servant? What are you talking about?" Ranma asked. His eyebrows shot up like lightning. "Unless you LIKE my servant?! What can you see in a scrawny underfed kid like that?" Ranma was on the ground a mere millisecond after the last word left his mouth, his head sporting a lovely bump from an equally lovely tempered lady. She gave a last huff and twirled around to storm down the hallway in search of servants.  
  
"I can't believe him! He thinks I'm seeing myself! That stupid no good baka." She muttered angrily when she suddenly ran into a rock hard chest and banged her nose.  
  
"Itei!!" She grabbed her nose and hoped it wasn't bleeding. Two heavy hands rested on her shoulders and she looked up into the vacant yet confused eyes of a young nobleman.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." He said apologetically. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, I, uh, wasn't watching where I was going either. Are you lost?" She asked. The man gave an embarrassed smile.  
  
"Actually I can't even remember where I'm going, you wouldn't happen to know, would you?" He asked earnestly and a sweatdrop appeared on Akane's head.  
  
"Erm, no, sorry. If you'll excuse me." She gave a quick bow and scurried off to find servants. That man seemed familiar, somehow. And wasn't anybody in this palace remotely normal? The answer to her question came in the form of a very angry duck with swirly eyed glasses throwing knives at a nimble panda. They sped past Akane, leaving her with rumpled hair and clothes and a very baffled look on her face.  
  
"What's going on around here??!!!" She screeched.  
  
"OH!!! Beautiful woman!" A callused hand grabbed hers and she looked down at a kneeling samurai dressed man who was rubbing his cheek against her hand. "So much anger and strength poured into every heartfelt word!! I felt your passion down to the depths of my tormented soul!!" He exclaimed and tried to plant a kiss on her hand but she tore away from him, kicking him off with her foot.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at him as he attempted to get closer.  
  
"Such ferocity! You would be a tiger to tame! I shall reward you with the honor of courting me!" He lunged for her hands but was swiftly kicked off by Akane and another foot. Ranma had miraculously recovered from Akane's last hit and was glaring at the samurai man who was currently flying in the air.  
  
"Ugh, that guy pisses me off every time I see him." Ranma commented.  
  
"Go away, I'm busy." Akane said roughly and proceeded down the hallway in her persistent search for servants. Just where could all of them be right now???  
  
"Hey wait!" Ranma trotted next to her. "What right do you have to ignore an imperial prince?"  
  
"I'm too busy for formalities, if you want people begging and scraping at your feet, go someplace else because you aren't getting any of that with me." She said and her face lit up when she saw two maids aimlessly walking around. "You two! I need you to go to Lady Ukyo's room and clean up the mess there, got it?" The two girls gave a nod and quickly started to walk.  
  
"Whew, with that done, I guess I should go back to my other duty."  
  
"What duty?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Did I not just tell you to go someplace else?" Akane complained. "Why do you keep bugging me?"  
  
"Hm, good point." Ranma tapped his head for a second. He smacked his palm with a fist.  
  
"I remember now," He bent close to her with suspicious eyes. "Are you in any sort of relationship with my servant?" He asked warningly.  
  
Akane threw up her hands in defeat. "Just how in the-what can you be-oh forget it! Why don't you just jump to conclusions since you're already doing so." She snapped at him and looked around for an escape. "Hey, look, a huge okonomiyaki!" She pointed at the ground, and Ranma's eyes were glued to the floor, fervently searching for his favorite snack.  
  
"Heeeyyy, there's nothing there." Ranma said indignantly and looked up to glare at the maid. "Eh? Where'd she go?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Akane took deep wheezing breaths as she struggled to slip into her servant gear. She pulled her long blue hair into a messy tail and was stepping out of her room when she bumped into Ranma. She gave a squeak and rubbed her nose, frowning at the prince.  
  
"Ouch, that's the umpteenth time that's happened to me today, watch where you're going." She said as she stepped passed him.  
  
Ranma was opening his mouth to argue when his shoji door slammed open. Then there were various crashes that sounded like someone was running into things."What the-"  
  
"Raaaaanma!!!!!!!" A furious voice called out. Akane and Ranma poked their heads out of the bedroom to see a tall Chinese man who was trembling with rage. He had beautiful green eyes but they were slightly masked by the pure rage that was literally bulging them out. He had long black hair that hung untied, a strange sight for a Chinese man.  
  
"He better not be another fiancé." Akane muttered under her breath. Ranma heard and smacked his servant on the head with an irritated closed fist. "Itei! What was that for?"  
  
"Don't get any funny thoughts in that empty head." Ranma snapped as he slid his bedroom door open all the way. "What are you doing here Mousse?"  
  
The Chinese man peered around the room with squinted his eyes which set sight on Akane who was standing in front of Ranma. "You coward! Hiding from me for fear of your life, eh?!!" He stomped over and picked Akane up by her shirt. "Stand up and fight like a man!"  
  
Akane's mouth dropped open in shock. Did everybody really think she looked like a man? She clenched her fist and was getting ready to let the punches fly when Ranma kicked Mousse's hand so he would release his servant.  
  
"I'm right here, you blind moron." Ranma said exasperatedly as the Mousse plucked a pair of coke bottle glass from his sleeve. Upon placing them on his nose, he looked Akane up and down from where she stood.  
  
"You're not Ranma...where are you hiding him? Are you an accomplice of his?" He asked.  
  
"Geez, you're blind even with the glasses, I'm standing right here. Yoo hoo!" Ranma waved his arms and Mousse turned his head to the right.  
  
"Ah ha! I see you have finally showed up! Did you pluck enough courage to finally face me down in a fair fight?!" Mousse exclaimed as he slyly slipped his hands into his wide sleeves. "Today is the day I will win back Shampoo from you!!"  
  
"Eh, he's here for Shampoo?" Akane whispered at Ranma while keeping a cautious eye at Mousse.  
  
"He must have snuck over when she came here. Which means..." He snapped his fingers in dismay. "All my other relatives are probably following right behind him."  
  
Suddenly Mousse attacked in a white blur. "Hakuchoken!!!"  
  
"Fist of the white swan?" Akane said fearfully as she watched the amazing speed Mousse delivered. But Ranma only gave a yawn and balanced on his two hands while catching the object in Mousse's hands with his bare feet. Her mouth dropped in shock again upon the object Ranma had caught. A potty trainer in the shape of a swan?  
  
"Honestly Mousse, didn't you create any new techniques while I've been in Japan?" Ranma said as he pushed up with his hands to get back on his feet. Mousse only sheepishly looked down at his feet.  
  
"It's a lot of work courting Shampoo." He admitted then shook himself. "But that's not the point!" He pushed his glasses up with one finger. "I'll learn a new technique Ranma! Just you wait! And then I'll win back Shampoo from your seductive hold on her!!!" Mousse threw down a small egg that exploded and made smoke filled the room. When it disappeared, so had Mousse.  
  
"And you say you're related?" Akane asked dryly.  
  
"Unfortunately. He's a 2nd cousin." Ranma plopped down and slapped the table. "Serve me tea."  
  
"Serve it yourself." Akane sat down and poured herself a steaming cup. Ranma glared at her from across the table. "Oh fine, you incompetent child." She gave him her cup and poured herself another. "So you'll have more relatives coming here?"  
  
"Most likely, when one goes, the others follow. I should probably start limbering up, I know Gosunkugi will be sneaking his way here soon."  
  
"How do you live like this?" Akane asked blankly while staring the steam rising from her tea. "Or more importantly, how am I going to live with this?"  
  
"Well, you can always practice so you can defeat me one day." He stopped in the midst of his drinking to give a snicker. "One day!"  
  
Akane calmly placed her tea cup on the ground so she could stand up and bent over. "Could you hold the teapot up please?" Ranma did so with a puzzled look on his face and Akane swiftly lifted the tea table to smash it on Ranma's head.  
  
"Oops, I dropped the table, I'll go get a new one." Akane sped out of the room while Ranma saw giggling Akane's running in circles around his head. By the time Ranma came to, he shook his head and scampered off to chase his servant.  
  
"Oy!!!! You can't do that to a prince!" His agility came in handy as he easily caught up with Akane who was walking down the hallway in a leisurely pace.  
  
"It's already been done." Akane pointed out.  
  
"Shut up." Ranma said as he tucked his hands in his pockets and walked alongside her. "You need to learn more respect towards your betters."  
  
"If I see one, I'll do so right away." She stated. She was going to say more when a laugh interrupted her.  
  
"Ho ho ho! Ranma-sama!! So we meet again! It must be the work of fate!" A young woman with long black hair pulled into a side ponytail stood ramrod straight before them.  
  
"Eh-uh-sorryI'mtoobusytotalkbye!" Ranma stammered and sprinted to the opposite direction while tugging Akane behind him.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing?!!" Akane yelled as Ranma pulled her up to the palace rooftops.  
  
"Ranma-sama! You can't run away from me forever! We were meant to be!!" The woman called out from right behind.  
  
"Damn, she got faster." Ranma said under his breath as he ran quicker. He took a sharp turned and dropped into a courtyard. Scanning the area around him, he slipped into an empty room and was just sliding the door shut when the woman dropped into the same courtyard.  
  
"Ranma-sama!!" She called out again as she moved away from the two.  
  
"Fiance?" Akane asked dryly.  
  
"I'm telling you, I don't have any fiancés!" Ranma hissed at her.  
  
"Then who's Ukyo? And Shampoo? And Mousse? And her?" Akane numbered off from her fingers.  
  
"Mousse?! What are you thinking of, you idiot?!" Ranma hissed again.  
  
"Maa maa, I was just joking." Akane held up her hands. "Are we safe to go out now?"  
  
Ranma poked his head and briefly nodded his head. "I should have put two and two together. If Kuno is here, than Kodachi must be too." He smacked his head.  
  
"Kuno? Kodachi?" Akane asked.  
  
"If you see a samurai flirting with all the ladies and walking around with a 'greater than thou' swagger, stay away from him." He explained as they walked back to where they were. "And his sister too."  
  
"Oh, he was that man from earlier!" Akane exclaimed as she remembered the samurai who had harassed her.  
  
"Weird guy? When did you meet him?" Ranma asked inquiringly. "And you're unhurt?"  
  
"Forget it, it's nothing. I hope we don't meet any more of your relatives. I swear, if I meet another one of them today-"  
  
"Ranmaaaaa!!!!!!!!" A deep voice bellowed out.  
  
"I give up." Akane said and began to run away, leaving Ranma to deal with another person out for his head or his heart.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Several hours later, Akane was hiding up on one of the tall bushy trees that masked her darkly clothed figure. She had hidden in the clothes making woman's room for hours while asking for a set of clothes that would help her blend into the night. Her honorable nature forbade her of running away from Ranma, so she had taken the next best action, disappearing from him. She climbed higher until she was nearly at the top and gracefully sat on a branch, tucking her hands into her sleeves. If every day were to be anything like today, she would be spending a lot of time up here.  
  
"Stupid Ranma, how can anybody have so many fiancés and enemies at the same time?" She wondered out loud.  
  
~In Ranma's Room~  
  
The prince sneezed into his cup of tea and wiped his nose while warily looking around him.  
  
"Someone's talking about me. Wait, where's Kane?"  
  
~Back to the tree~  
  
Assassinating the prince in his sleep? No, that would be dishonorable. Hiring an assassin to kill him in his sleep? She shook her head again. How was she going to be able to defeat him? He appeared to have greater skills than her. But she couldn't give up, not if she wanted to get to the king. Maybe he could grant her a week's vacation. But then, Ranma would probably tag along just to make sure she wasn't deserting him. And there was no way she was going to lose her cover. If he ever found out who she really was, he'd probably....well, actually, she didn't know what he would do. But it would be bad. The rebellion would already be starting by now, she was wasting time just sitting around and doing nothing! She had to find a way to defeat Ranma! She sighed and tipped her head up to look at the half moon hanging in the sky.  
  
"Mother, what am I going to do?"  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Author's Notes: Ok, I made this chapter a bit longer than the last one to make up for lost time. I think in the next chapter, I'm going to start getting into the plot. The first few chapters was merely for introducing the situation and just for fun. I hope you enjoyed it, please don't kill me, and don't forget to leave a nice long review for me to read.  
  
Queen Ali B: hhmm, I don't know if I am going to introduce Ranma's mother into this. We'll just have to see and I definitely recommend you reading the Ranma manga, they are ten times funnier than the anime. There's just a lot of extra stuff in the books and the illustrations are awesome.  
  
Silliedreams: eh, really? I seriously never thought this story would go very far and I was more or less planning on writing it just for fun. I haven't read much ranma fanfiction so I don't know if my story is really that good  
  
Shadow Knight2: thanks for the long review! I get so few of those, even though I beg readers to leave me one. And I'm glad this story is a new idea, I really am trying to create different stories from ones I'm reading all the time. And lol, yeah, 100 is a lot of reviews, I just found out a few days I had this much. Wow!  
  
Chinagirl223: well, I have a good reason why it took so long to update! Really! I just moved and its taken time to adjust. Not to mention all my new teachers seems to love giving me tons of homework, leaving me little free time *sniff*  
  
Lili boom: Yeah, I'm not really planning on going with akane's beginning of the anime personality, more like in the middle. Because when I read the manga book 22, 23, and 24, I noticed that she has really mellowed out and is a lot more mature. Besides, she's a spy, it's practically a given that she has to be cool and witty. ^^ and since ryoga is one of my favorite characters, of course he'll be in this story.  
  
Flameraven1: wow, you read my mind! I just introduced kuno and kodachi in this chapter! Of course, he didn't come looking for, but now that he found her, we'll definitely be seeing more of him later on. And I'm still trying to figure out who it should that's going to help her. Maybe she'll learn a bit of something from everybody. Guess we'll have to see  
  
Tigerrelly: yay, I updated! I'm glad you like my story so much! This was just supposed to be a fun story to write and I never figured it would generate so much interest! 100 reviews! At just four chapters!! 


	6. Progress or Postponed?

Author's Notes: I updated! Everybody cheer and break out the wine!!!!

Progress or Postponed?

* * *

She ducked, just barely getting out of the way and the slash of wind above her head elicited a wince at the slowness of her body. Another battle plan was summed up in her mind and she retreated to her opponent's left, feinting a low kick then gave one that reached towards the head. An iron arm blocked her attack and proceeded to send a powerful punch towards her face but she forced herself a few steps back to get out of the vicinity. _Faster, faster!_ She ducked down again as another fist flew centimeters past her right cheek. Her attacks weren't contacting and the failures were starting to irk her as eyes scanned for any openings. He was thorough and moved quick despite his larger body structure. His own attacks were flawless and it was only her short bursts of adrenaline that kept any of them from landing. Gritting her teeth she threw herself into the fight and methodically started to met out blows while still keeping her eyes wary for any openings. Her hair whipped her face as her entire body turned to give a swift kick. He caught her foot and proceeded to twist it when her other foot crashed into the side of his head. He immediately released her foot and promptly grabbed his head, letting her fall to the floor.

"OOWWW!!" He complained as he let his guard down. Still lying on the floor, she gave a snap of her leg and swept him off his feet.

"Best 3 out of 4?" She asked hopefully as she sat up. Ryoga looked at her with indifference in his eyes, obviously opposed to another bout. With a shake of his head he leaped up and began stretching out his neck.

"You're pretty good for a small guy." The prince commented as he wiped a towel across his face.

"I'm small so I can move quickly." She said modestly but her ego was blissfully happy. Ryoga threw the towel at her and left the dojo for breakfast. Lucky for her, one of Ranma's favorite hobbies was sleeping in till a strange panda comes in to knock him out of bed. After personally witnessing the oddity of a bitter fight between a human and a skilled panda, Akane had taken to escaping to the dojo. It wasn't much of an escape but few people came into the building at such an early hour. Only the desperately insane, such as herself. But who knew how long the building would hold out after all the injuries that were boldly given. She looked around her temporary haven of peace.

Pools of sunlight gathered in lazy circles in the dojo and the dismayed girl silently surveyed all the damage done. 24 holes in the walls (seven being man sized), 19 holes in the ceiling (the size of a head), and deep dents everywhere on the floor. It was literally a miracle that the dojo had somehow managed to stand throughout so much damage. She cautiously poked at a battered wooden beam holding the building up and a rumbling began to shake the area. Clouds of dust began to fall everywhere along with splinters of wood and the rumbling grew stronger.

"Uh-" She dove out of the door and hit the hard ground just as there was an enormous crash.

"Oh." She finished weakly. She brushed her long bangs out of the way and stared up at the heap of wood that had once been the dojo. She heard the patter of feet coming close and gave a groan as she sat up. Ranma was going to kill her…

"What the hell?!" Bellowed a familiar voice.

Akane sheepishly scratched her head and gave a grin as the prince looked down at her. She gave a shrug of her shoulders and began to unsuccessfully brush the dust off her clothes. He replied to her silence by grabbing the back of her shirt and hoisted her up to her feet with no effort.

"Eh, it wasn't me?" She said delicately. Curiously, he began to look her all over, turning her around so he could see her back. "Oy, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm _seeing_ if you have any injuries." He replied indignantly as he finished his inspection.

"Who are you and what have you done to the prince?" She asked suspiciously and the prince rolled his eyes. Without dignifying her sincere comment with an answer, he snapped his fingers and servants began to quickly pick up the mess.

"I was hoping it would happen when my brother is in it. What are you doing practicing so early in the morning anyway?"

"What do you think?! Don't' tell me you forgot already!" She exclaimed.

He slapped his hand with a fist. "Oh yeah, the bet!"

She began to release a furious burst of punches toward him. 'I can't-" Punch. "believe-" Punch. "you forgot!!!"

He nimbly dodged her punches, doing backflips and other aerial moves as she began to work up a sweat again. He landed behind her and flicked her in the head.

"Sorry, it looks like you're stuck forever with me."

Her life flashed past her eyes and she doubled her efforts in landing a hit, but it was no use and Ranma only stuck his tongue out as he narrowly missed a punch aimed straight for his nose. Akane stuck her hands in her pockets and tried not to glower as she walked towards the kitchen for a bite to eat. Luckily, Ranma had begged her to stop making him breakfast and instead, ordered her to clean up the mess she had dumped outside his window. Which she then hid in the far corner of the garden that was always covered in shadows.

It had been a week now, a week of practicing, and STILL, she was no longer closer to beating Ranma than she was before. And it was only her dignity as a martial artist (and perhaps her ego) that kept her from running away. She had to contact the king, but written messages wouldn't be trusted by the monarch and sending a messenger in her place was dangerous as well. She had already begged Ranma for a vacation, but he only smacked her in the head. She peeked behind to see a bored Ranma and scampered into a hallway as he walked by with half lidded eyes. Sprinting to her room, Akane loosed her hair from the high ponytail she used and expertly braided it while running. With seconds to spare, she donned her maid uniform and slipped into Ukyo's garden. The lady was forlornly sitting on the boulder by her personal pond, throwing bread crumbs to the koi fish below. When she saw Akane coming, she threw all the bread crumbs into the pond and leaped from the rock.

"Akane-chan! I thought I was going to die from my loneliness! Ran-chan hasn't paid me a visit since that nasty Chinese girl came by!" Ukyo wailed and Akane prepared herself for the usual barrage of teary complaints. Suddenly, an idea planted in her head.

"Ukyo-san, don't you feel like a nice long vacation? Perhaps in the _fashionable_ hot springs in the Imperial City? I've heard rumors that women who bathe in the city's springs for two weeks straight magically acquire beautiful skin and hair." Akane said slyly. She gave herself a pat in the back as Ukyo's eyes bulged at the words "skin and hair".

"My cousin went to the springs for two weeks, and in the end, she got married to the love of her life." Akane added for good measure.

Ukyo grabbed Akane's hands with a bright smile on her face.

"Akane-chan! We're going to the Imperial City! Ran-chan will be mine after two weeks!" Ukyo cried out and ran into her rooms, bellowing for her servants. Akane felt a strange pang in her chest but she dismissed it as excitement and went into Ukyo's rooms to help pack. She stopped dead in her tracks as a terrible realization came over her.

Who was going to play Kane while Akane was gone???

* * *

Her delicate fingers twisted and untwisted the silk blanket in her hands in nervousness. She felt like she was ready to burst any second in her anxiety, but screams of impatience would bring attention on her, so she continued her crazed twisting. There was a tiny rip and Akane looked down to see a long tear in the blanket from all her twisting. Stifling a groan, she hid the blanket under the cushioned seats of the carriage and looked around for anything else that would take her mind off the trouble back at the castle. She had managed to beg the clothesmaker she had befriended to say that Kane had an illness that was very contagious and was being taken to another village for treatment. The lie would hold, unless Ranma was that much of a blockhead that he would check every neighboring village just for her. The knot of worry wouldn't go away and only tightened as each mile passed, torturously slow. Akane leaned back and tried to force herself to sleep. They would be near the Imperial City soon and she needed all the rest she could get before meeting the king.

* * *

A cacophony of voices jarred Akane awake from an uncomfortable sleep. She pushed back the thick curtain to see the Imperial City of Japan. The wide street had been cleared for Ukyo's small procession but few people stopped to watch the sight. Venders packed both sides of the road and the scent of commoner food reached her nose, making her stomach rumble in protest. Cloth sellers stood outside holding bolts of cloth and yelling prices at the top of their voices. Cooks beckoned at passing people to come in and have a taste. Women with children hanging to their skirts struggled through the crowd. A small boy with a street guard on his tail zipped by and Akane gave a grin, she was home. She spotted a familiar face in the crowd and gave a high pitched whistle with her lips. Another high pitched whistle was returned and Akane leaned back as her signal began to travel through the city, faster than a galloping horse.

"Ugh, what was the sound?" Ukyo grumbled as she too awakened. She slipped a mirror out from her obi and began to meticulously check herself. When the primping session was over, Ukyo looked out of the window with her maid.

"We should arrive at my house soon. I bought a house years ago because I wanted to meet the Imperial prince. I heard he was very skilled in martial arts. But since he travels abroad so often, I never got to see him once. He's very mysterious for being the youngest in the Imperial family." Ukyo sighed. Akane squashed down a giggle at the thought of Ukyo chasing after the Japanese prince, instead of Ranma. Then an unpleasant thought of Ukyo chasing after her slipped her mind and she squashed down her disgust before Ukyo could see it. Thank kami she took all those missions out of the imperial city when she was young! Though it didn't help her pride that even Ukyo had heard of the infamous "prince" of the royal family.

The procession turned into one of the privileged streets that were close to the palace. Sprawling mansions the size of small towns tried their best to look impressive next to the immense palace that wasn't too far away. Akane only gave a quick side glance at the various mansions of upper nobility and then kept her attention on the palace. She had stalled and worried for weeks, but now she was finally here and she could feel a few knots of anxiety loosen. The trouble wouldn't start yet; the enemy couldn't begin the games until the sea storms had quelled. But the king had to be notified immediately so that he would be properly ready for what was inevitable. Now all she had to do was ditch-

"Akane-chan!!!" Ukyo squealed. "I-It's him!!!!"

Akane rubbed her ears at the intensity of Ukyo's shrieks. The carriage game to an abrupt stop and Akane had to brace herself with her hands. Ukyo flew out of the carriage like a lightning bolt and Akane followed slowly after. She was muttering complaints to herself when she stopped dead in her tracks. She jumped back in the carriage and tried to slow down her speeding heart. She took a quick peek outside and saw the familiar pigtailed prince hopping off his horse. It was impossible. No, it was… utterly, absolutely impossible that Ranma would be here. The chances… was fate playing tricks on her? How could it be?! She had everything planned out and now this?! She heard the two talking but she could only hear a few snatches of words here and there. Nearly twenty minutes later, Ukyo climbed back in with a beaming smile that Akane was tempted to smack off. The carriage lurched forward and the procession continued once more.

"He MUST be in love with me, to follow me all the way here!" Ukyo giggled demurely, but Akane gave a gulp at the almost predatory look the noble had in her eyes. Ranma had his hands full with this fiancé. "This trip to the springs could really change my life. Akane-chan?"

Akane looked fearfully at what Ukyo would say. She could very well ask Akane to attend to her every waking second, therefore increasing her chances of meeting up with _him_. She didn't have the time or willpower to put up with dodging tricky questions about the relationships between Akane and Kane

"Y-yes my lady?" Akane said as calmly as she could. She gave her sweetest smile and snapped out her fan.

"Don't take this the wrong way dear, but I'll-I'll be so busy beautifying myself that I won't be needing you throughout the whole trip. Sooo- just make yourself scarce and try not to be around when I'm having my lovely meetings with-"

Akane gave a cough to interrupt Ukyo and the woman gave a flustered look at her.

"If my lady wouldn't mind, I have some relatives in the city that I've been meaning to visit. I could stay with them until the trip is over." Akane left the sentence hanging.

Ukyo gave another joyous beam and embraced her maid with a strong arm around her neck. The procession soon arrived at the Ukyo mansion and dozens of servants quickly began to unload all of the luggage stashed in the wagons and carriages. Akane took the few belongings with her and scanned the courtyard for Ranma. She spotted him talking to a hostler and she sprinted across the courtyard and through the mansion's outer gates, hoping that he had been too occupied to notice someone running by.

"Hey! HEY!!!" A voice called out behind her.

Akane pumped her legs even faster and cut into an alley, hoping to lose whoever was calling out to her.

"Hey!" A voice called out behind her.

It was now or be caught. Akane gathered strength into her legs and used the wall beside her to help her jump onto a house's roof. With an extra burst of speed, she flew from one rooftop to another and hopped back to the street once she reached the main road of the city. Using the crowd to hide her, Akane ducked between groups of people and then slipped into an old, broken down building. Her breath came out in great heaves and she could feel the sweat pooling on her back. Kami, she hadn't done an escape like that for a few months and she was already out of practice. A finger tapped her from behind and Akane whirled around with a hidden knife already in her hands. She eased her guard and released the young boy she had grabbed.

"Hey boss, where've you been?" The boy asked cheerfully.

Akane affectionately tousled his hair and wiped the sweat on her head with the sleeves of her kimono. Her complaining muscles was a sore indicator that she was greatly in need of some tough practice.

"And why are you dressed like a girl?" The boy asked curiously as he stared at his well attired master.

"Cuz I am a girl, you little brat. Now, where are the others? Have they assembled in the room?" Akane asked as the two took a hidden staircase that went deep into the earth. Flickering torch lights lit an earthy path that took them even deeper underground. They finally arrived at a pair of broken down shoji doors and the boy pulled them open to reveal a worn room packed with men and women of all levels. Many were in the same grubby clothes that the boy wore, but a handful off in the corner wore the same armbands and ronin outfit that Akane had worn when she had first been caught. The room grew silent as she walked in and they all took a seat by the long table. Akane took her customary seat at the head and cleared her throat despite the fact that she had their unwavering attention. Her pride swelled at the competence of her spy network and she gave a wink at her second in command, Toma.

"We have a national emergency on our hands. And if all of you have been doing your homework, you should know exactly what will happen in a few weeks' time. District leaders should already have plans laid out so run them by me first before commencing any actions. And as for my group," she cast a gaze at the uniformed group of warriors still hovering in the back. "I have a special mission for you guys. I want daily reports on anything and everything from the rest of you, understood?"

Their united voices of agreement filled the room and then the meeting was over. All except the uniformed warriors quickly filed out of the room to get to work. Soon Akane was alone.

"Did you miss me?" She asked coyly.

Toma bopped her in the head as they all took close seats next to her. Despite being the youngest handful of spies in the network, they all played the most crucial parts in keeping the empire intact. Their intense knowledge of martial arts and weaponry made them essential in stamping out rebel groups and bandit clans. Youthful energy and intelligence also made them perfect for spy work. And it also helped that all of them were alluring enough to seduce any human being.

"Why are you dressed like a girl?" Toma asked curiously. The others all nodded their heads as they looked at her butterfly decorated yukata and elaborately tied obi. Akane gritted her teeth at their innocent surprise. Did it really have to surprise everybody that she was actually a girl?

"I'm currently in character for a spy mission," she lied smoothly. There was no need to tell them how a noble had managed to corner her into being a maid. "Now, can we get to more important matters than my appearance as a girl?"

"More like debut." Someone snickered and Akane threw a death glare towards the direction she heard it from. She let it slide by and prepared herself for the long session of briefing ahead of her. She needed some inside work done on the rebellion leader's inner group. Word from her contacts in China was that he kept a handful of elite advisors and generals close by, and every one of them possessed incredible powers in martial arts. So powerful was this group that they had called themselves The Phoenix Clan. Akane gripped her hands tight at the thought of her home coming to ruins because of such a faction. This mission would be lethal, extremely dangerous, and exhausting…perfect punishment for the ones who were still snickering about her outfit in secret. And she knew they would get the job done, even at the expense of their lives. She ignored a twinge in her heart at the thought of her friends dying in the foreign land and slipped a folded map out from her obi. All humorous banter and manner vanished as six pairs of eyes swiftly began to memorize the map's contents.

* * *

Author's notes: hahaha! At last! It is complete!!! And it's 7 pages of apology that it came out so late!! I hope you enjoyed and please leave a nice, lovely, long review on what you thought about it and such forth. Thanks!

Kaida: lol! I'm trying my hardest to put in as many ranma characters as possible. I covered all of the main characters and now I'm adding in a few lesser known characters as well (I hope people catch them and know who they are, especially ranma fans)

Chinagirl223: uh…well…..did I do better than half a year this time? I updated now! And its pretty long too! Yay!

Ladyknight: lol, have you noticed in the anime and manga how dense the characters can be sometimes? (kuno not noticing that girl ranma and boy ranma are the same) I figure I'd play on that and use it to my advantage to creates trouble for the other characters. and of course ranma will eventually find out about akane and kane

Andi-chan: I was thinking about putting in some ryouga and akane romance, but I'm still considering it. I'm glad you like my story! I love ranma!!!

Leina: lol, yup, the family is really messed up, and things will get more complicated later on as more characters show up!

Lady Mokodane: whee!! Thanks! I'm really glad people are liking this story! I was sort of cautious on this plot but I'm glad that its working out.

Kaoru-chan6: lol, ranma is always in denial when it comes to fiancés and such. And I was thinking about having akane pretend to like her other self to make ranma jealous, but akane isn't still quite in love with ranma yet.

Elle30: have no fear, this is a akane/ranma and there will be no yaoi of any sort. I don't even know how to write yaoi. And yay! I love it when people say that its different from the other stories they read! Because I look on sometimes and I see the same plot being used over and over again and it rarely comes out right.

Flameraven1: wow, do you know how many ranma characters there are? Well, I haven't counted, but there's a lot! And I'm trying my best to add all of them in. and as u can tell from reading this chapter, I'm putting in the phoenix people too (is that what they're called? I know the main guy is Saffron)

The Girl Who Cried Oro: uh, yeah, it really has been a while. I don't know how long, but I hope people haven't given up on this story. Life is hectic, my schedule is hectic, and I can't have my day centering on writing anymore. Though that would be nice…


End file.
